#88 - Nov. 18, 2008, 7:05 p.m.
Q u o t e:
They hate doing their job?
No, not at all. Investigation is far more efficient if these names are reported piecemeal rather than in a huge mass, that is all. The Game Master was merely offering the best way for both our player and our staff to address the issue swiftly.
As someone else mentioned, the best way to report a large block of names is via email to wowgm@blizzard.com. Please clearly note the realm you are reporting the names on, and make sure that each name is entered exactly =).
Now, to address the larger theme of this thread: Roleplay enforcement on RP realms. Please allow me to provide a link to our policies on the subject first:
http://us.blizzard.com/support/article.xml?articleId=20458
Q u o t e:
Creating an immersive world that holds true to the "Base Storyline" of the World of Warcraft is the driving motivation behind our Role-Play Servers. While other servers allow you to play World of Warcraft, these servers are intended to let you live World of Warcraft. Within this environment you will embark on long-lasting adventures, foster enduring comradeships, and wage epic wars. Cultivating an environment that allows this level of immersion rests largely upon the shoulders of you, the player. To assist you in this endeavor, we have laid out rules of conduct more stringent than those of other servers. Keep in mind that each section of this policy is in addition to the policies currently being enforced on all servers. If you find another player acting in a manner that contradicts the spirit of the guidelines detailed below, you must first verbally request that the offending player to discontinue his/her behavior. If the actions continue after this request, only then should you contact a Game Master (GM). Remember to be respectful of others' storylines for we must all work together to maintain the continuity of the Base Storyline. Good luck and safe journeys!
That's the introduction to the policy, and covers the majority of the main themes. You'll note the sentence I underlined though - it's very important to request that a player specifically cease interrupting your Roleplay prior to reporting them. It's not a good idea to sneak around 'ambushing' those that do not happen to be role-playing up to a specific standard without informing them. After all, every player has a different idea of what role playing is.
Now, to cover some of the specific potential offenses:
Q u o t e:
Verbal/Physical Harassment Targeting Role-Players
This category includes:
* Players that specifically target role-players for verbal/physical abuse (not limited to offensive language).
Q u o t e:
Out of Character (OOC) Discussion and Use of General Chat
Detailed below is the language policy enforced on the Role-Play servers. Use of the /ignore command is also highly encouraged.
* The General Chat Channel should only be used for finding Storylines (SLs), finding Party Groups, and various other discussions pertaining to the Base Storyline (BSL), game-related topics, and continuity.
* The General Chat Channel should NOT be used for any "Off-topic," Non-Storyline, or non game-related discussions.
* Absolutely no out of character (OOC) or non-fantasy related dialogue should take place in the /Say, /Yell, or Party chat channels.
* Guild Chat will not be policed for any fantasy related violations.
* All normal harassment rules (which can be found at http://us.blizzard.com/support/article.xml?articleId=20226) still apply.
Please keep in mind that this doesn't mean that everyone in General is necessarily speaking in character. It is just that General chat on RP realms is expected to be more focused than on other realms. You can refer to that policies page for examples of appropriate dialogue.
Q u o t e:
Non-Medieval/Fantasy Character Names
This category includes:
* Any Non-Medieval or Non-Fantasy names (i.e. Slipnslide, Robotman, Technotron).
* All normal naming rules (which can be found at http://us.blizzard.com/support/article.xml?articleId=20368).
This is a naming convention that is almost exclusively enforced on RP realms. Please keep in mind that all names and related actions are subject to our interpretation and that we are the final arbiters. A number of interesting cases have come across the desk regarding names on Roleplay realms, and it is very likely that our standards for these names, while much more stringent than on a non-RP realm, are more relaxed than those of the average hard core Roleplayer.
And, here are the final notes from that policy page:
Q u o t e:
* This policy is in addition to the policies currently being enforced on all servers.
* Repeatedly violating any part of the Role-Play Server policy, as well as any part of the Terms of Use (ToU), will often result in temporary suspension from the game.
* Aside from the naming rules, GMs will only take action against players who are violating this policy if the player has already been asked to stop and still continues the violating action.
In short, we've allowed our players to largely define the environment on our RP realms. That said, we very definitely have policies in place to help create a more immersive environment. Ultimately though, it may be best to find players that are likeminded, and to form a 'troupe' of players to RP with. You may find that there is a larger community of Roleplayers on your realm than you thought.
Finally, we do take the environment of World of Warcraft extremely seriously, and we want every realm - RP, PvP and PvE - to offer the best possible experience for all our players. Unfortunately, while we'd be delighted to 'patrol' every realm and take action against harassment violations, the matter really isn't that simple. First, despite expanding our numbers very substantially, we simply do not have the resources to do so and continue to provide other services at any reasonable level at the same time. In addition, merely policing a single channel on both factions, across all realms, isn't very workable. What about battleground chat? Or General channels in individual areas (like Crossroads)?
There are very, very good reasons why we depend on the reports of our players, and also good reasons that our policies are reactive. Effectively, with the help of our players, this enables us to police
every channel in the game at
all times! Something that would be impossible with 'patrols'.
It's also important to note our Penalty Volcano though - not every violation will immediately result in a longterm suspension or ban. Here's a link:
http://us.blizzard.com/support/article.xml?articleId=20221
Of course, if you do not feel as though our RP policies are not stringent enough, you can certainly feel free to make a post on our Suggestions forum recommending further modifications to this policy. Please do keep in mind that no Blizzard Representatives are able to post in that forum, but do not be discouraged, as that forum is indeed read by our Development staff.
PLEASE NOTE:
All our Game Masters are employees of Blizzard Entertainment, and there is a great deal of oversight regarding the enforcement of our policies. These matters are quite sensitive, and as a result, a volunteer 'task force' is very unlikely to ever be the kind of feature implemented by our Support department
